Road Trip
by SPEEEEEEEAK
Summary: The Boho's all go somewhere. Sheer bordum. Rated cause it's RENT, for language, and for eventual chapters. MoJo. MimiRoger. CollinsAngel. Eventually MarkOC...'cause otherwise he'd be all lonely.
1. Contest

**A/N: 5 hour long car trips can be **_**really**_** boring. So I wrote this.**

"Marky!" Maureen screamed, bounding through the door of the loft.

"What ever it is I swear I didn't do it!" Mark called from the kitchen, looking frantically for a hiding spot from the hyper-active diva.

Too late.

Maureen flew over to where Mark was and enveloped him in a hug.

"Uhh, get off me Mo," Mark said, squirming out of her grasp.

"Guess what?" Maureen shouted excitedly as she hopped up on the counter.

Mark covered his ears and reminded her, "Indoor voice, please Mo."

"Right," she said and began to talk quickly to avoid Mark interupting her again.

"Ok, so, I entered this contest down at the Food Emporium, and the winner got tickets for them and their friends to a football game down in Philadelphia! And guess what? I won! So now me, you, Roger, Mimi, Collins, Angel, and of course, Joanne, are going to go down to Philadelphia this weekend to see the Eagles game! And since it's in Philadelphia, you know what this means?!"

Maureen didn't give Mark a chance to even open his mouth before she hopped off of the counter and shouted to the heavens, "ROAD TRIP!"

"Oh boy," Mark muttered to himself, only too aware of how weird this weekend was going to get.

Maureen continued to talk excitedly about the outing, while Mark began straightening up the kitchen, for lack of anything better to do.

"The game's Saturday night, so we're renting a car and we'll drive down Saturday morning, spend a few hours in the city, and then head up to the stadium. After the game, Joanne has booked hotel rooms for all of us, so we'll spend the night there, and leave the next morning. So you're going to need to bring a change of clothes, a swimsuit for the hotel pool, toiletries, and anything else you might need."

Here the drama queen was forced to stop for breath. "Be at my and Jo's apartment Saturday, which is three days from now, since today's Wednesday, at _exactly_ 10:00 AM. Tell Roger about everything. I've got to go and tell Collins and Angel!"

And with that, Maureen left, leaving a very stunned Mark in the kitchen.


	2. Leaving

**A/N: Second chapter. Tell me what you think!**

Saturday morning, the Bohos assembled at Maureen and Joanne's apartment building with their things.

The car Joanne had rented sat parked at the curb, the doors and trunk open.

Collins was standing by the trunk, attempting to arrange everyone's luggage so that it would fit.

"It's the girl's luggage," he griped. "Why did you guys have to pack so much shit?"

Mimi, Angel, and Maureen just laughed at his annoyed expression.

Joanne shook her head, making her tight curls fly around her face. She turned back to the list she was holding, and continued to check off items as they were added to the waiting mini-van.

"Everyone's here, we have all the luggage packed, hotel reservations were made, I have money, there's change in the cup holder for tolls, Mo, honey? Do you have the tickets for the game?" Joanne called.

"Yup!" Maureen said, rushing over to give the tickets to her girlfriend for safe keeping.

She turned around to find everyone staring at her.

"What?" the drama queen asked the blank faces gaping at her.

"You were actually _organized_," Roger spoke up finally, a dumbfounded expression on his face.

Everyone laughed as Maureen bowed and Roger continued to look shocked.

"We should really get going," Mark said glancing at his watch. "It's already nine thirty, we're leaving half an hour late."

"Well what do you expect Mark?" Collins asked. "We _are_ traveling with Maureen after all!"

Maureen put on an offended expression and smacked Collins' head, making his beanie fly off and land on Roger's face.

The rocker peeled the hat off and tossed it back at Collins, who caught it, put it back on his head, and gestured to the car.

They all piled into the van – Joanne in the driver's seat, Mark had called shotgun, Maureen and Roger in the captain's chairs in the middle, and Collins, Mimi, and Angel in the back.

After five minutes of persuading Maureen to put on her seat belt, they were finally on the road.

**A/N: Sorry it's kinda short. And for the shortness of the first chapter. I promise the next chapter will be longer. Review please!**


	3. Complications

**A/N: Thanks to all who have reviewed! I re-posted this cause it had loads of editing mistakes. Sorry 'bout that. But anyway, I'm going to try my hardest and have updates coming fairly quickly. Happy reading!**

The group hadn't even made it out of the city when Maureen announced, "I'm hungry!"

Joanne glared at her in the review mirror.

"I told you to eat before we left," she said, clearly annoyed.

Maureen sighed.

"But I _did _eat, Pookie. I had two bagels with butter and cream cheese, the rest of the fruit salad from last night, scrambled eggs with syrup and ketchup, orange juice, milk, and coffee."

"And you're still hungry after all of that?" Collins asked incredulously.

Maureen nodded.

"There's a McDonald's right up here," Angel offered from the backseat.

Joanne gave in and turned into the parking lot, grabbing a spot in the back.

"Anyone else hungry?" she asked, turning around.

Everyone's hand went up and Jo laughed. She unlocked the doors and everyone tumbled out.

The seven friends walked into the McDonald's / convenience store and began to study the menu. They all ordered, paid and were about to walk back to the van when Mimi noted, "Where's Maureen?"

Everyone looked around, and Joanne was starting to seriously worry when Maureen walked over from the convenience store side.

"Where were you?" Joanne demanded of her girlfriend.

"Getting some things," Maureen replied.

"Like what?" Mark asked in a concerned tone.

"Chips!" Maureen cried, holding out an orange bag of barbecue potato chips.

Everyone sighed at Maureen's weirdness and walked back out to the van, to-go bags clutched tightly in their hands.

Joanne pulled onto the freeway, and everyone began to shove the greasy and fried food into their mouths.

Only a few more miles had passed when there was a sharp snap and an utterance of "Oh shit," to accompany it, was heard from the backseat.

"What now?" said Joanne, without even bothering to turn around.

"It's Maureen," Roger replied nervously.

"Isn't it always?" Mark muttered under his breath, fiddling with his camera.

"Specifically what, Roger?" Joanne questioned the rocker.

"She has caffeine…and _lots_ of it!"

Sure enough, Maureen was guzzling a 24-ounce energy drink, and you could see the clear outline of two more cans in her bag, plus one in the cup holder.

"Well, at the very least, this should be an interesting car ride," Angel said with a smirk.

**A/N: Comments? Click the magic button down there. Next chapter will have them getting into the city, exploring, and meeting someone **_**very**_** unexpected! Until next time…**


	4. Arriving

**A/N: Holy crap. I just realized that I haven't updated this in like a year!! Oops!! I am sooooooo sorry about that!! So I have the next few chapters lined up and almost ready to post, if you guys are still with this story. And now I'll stop rambling and actually let you read something!**

"Punch buggy!" Maureen screamed, whacking Roger with all her might. "OW!" screamed the rocker, rubbing his arm and glaring at her.

"What was that for?!" he demanded.

"It was a punch buggy," Maureen explained.

Roger looked back at Collins with raised eyebrows. Collins' forehead was also wrinkled in confusion.

"What the hell is a 'punch buggy?'" Collins asked, leaning forward, intrigued.

"Whenever you see a beetle - the car, not the bug - you punch someone and say 'punch buggy.'"

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of," Collins said, staring at Maureen as though she was on something.

Which, come to think of it, she probably was.

"You made that up didn't you?" Collins asked Maureen as though she were still four. Roger nodded viciously behind her back.

"I did not!" Maureen cried indignantly. She stared out the window for a moment, brooding before crying "PUNCH BUGGY!" and smacking Collins in the face.

"Shit!" he exclaimed, holding his nose, while Roger laughed quietly from the front seat. Maureen turned back around, proud to have made her point.

"Let's sing!" she suggested after only a brief moment of silence. "No!" the rest of the car chorused back. "Humph," Maureen said, sinking down in her seat. "Fine then."

Needless to say, the sugar and caffeine was _not_ sitting well with Maureen.

The drama queen was silent for a fairly long stretch of time, and everyone began to think that she had fallen asleep. Their dreams were shattered, however, when Maureen sighed dramatically.

"Pooooookie," she wined, "I'm boooooooored."

"I'm sorry," Joanne said, taking an exit. "But I can't help you with that."

"Oh yes you can," Maureen said, her voice laced with honey.

Joanne glanced back at her girlfriend in the rearview mirror, a skeptical expression on her face as Maureen unclicked her seatbelt. Maureen kneeled in the small space between the driver's seat and the passenger's seat.

Mark shifted uncomfortably in his seat and looked out his window and away from the drama that was sure to unfold before him. Maureen ran her hand up Joanne's thigh, causing her to shiver in pleasure. Maureen wrapped her other arm around Joanne's waist and began to kiss the lawyer's neck. Joanne sighed, and then seemed to snap out of her trance.

"Maureen!" she said sharply, taking her eyes from the road to only give Maureen a stern look. "I'm driving!"

"Sooooooo?" Maureen asked, drawing out the word as though Joanne didn't have a point.

"Not now," Joanne said. "Sit back down and just be patient. We're almost in the city."

And sure enough, you could see the turnpike starting to turn into more industrial buildings and apartments. Maureen sat back in her seat and amused herself by looking out the window at the city. Mark and Joanne got into a discussion about some famous old building, something about the Fourth of July; Maureen didn't have any patience to listen to it. Roger and Collins started talking about the Eagles, and who they were playing, and their record, also a boring conversation.

Mimi and Angel were talking about shopping, and that would have normally interested Maureen, but then her stomach grumbled. "Anyone else thinking that maybe it's time for lunch?" she asked quietly.

Everyone else stopped their conversations and there was a moment of absolute quiet in the car before laughter was heard. "I'm gonna take that as a yes," Maureen said with a smile, telling Joanne to find food.

After a little bit of driving around, the group found a small diner on 2nd, the Snow White Diner. They went in and were greeted by a woman with thick pink lipstick and white blonde hair piled up on her head who must have been in her 50's.

She seated them at a cracked leather booth and took their orders, peering at the interesting group through cat eyed glasses. She left to get their food, and Maureen bounced up and down excitedly in her seat.

"I can't believe that we're actually here! This is going to be so much fun! Where are we staying? What are we going to do after this? When does the game start? And where are we going for dinner tonight?" "Jesus Maureen!" Mimi laughed taking a drink of her soda. "Enough questions there?"

Joanne just smiled at her girlfriend and kissed her temple. "We're staying at a hotel that's actually only a few blocks from here, I was thinking we could go see the Liberty Bell after this, and where we're going tonight is a surprise." Maureen's eyes glowed, she loved surprises.

The Boho's food came, and they wolfed it down before leaving some money on the table and walking out of the diner. "It's only a few blocks to the Liberty Bell," Roger said, having some knowledge of Philly since he'd been to the city before. "Why don't we walk instead of taking the car?" Everyone liked his suggestion, so they began walking in the direction of the historical bell.

They reached the building where the bell was being kept and paid their admission, walking inside. The brass bell itself was located in the center of the room, velvet ropes surrounding it to keep little kids, and Maureen, away from the historical bit of metal. The group gathered around, fascinated.

Maureen was soon bored with the Liberty Bell, no matter how impressive it looked, so she walked around, pretending to read the informational placards on the walls. She wasn't paying attention, and soon ran into a man. "I'm sor--" she began to apologize, but it trailed off as she saw whom she had collided with.

"Benny?!"

**A/N: Dun, dun, duuuuuuuunnnnnnnn! Next chapter will be up soon!!**


	5. The Scum Appears

**A/N: Next chapter! I forgot to mention it last chapter, but I need to give credit to I'll Cover Angel and Collins, cause it's because of her awesomely suggestion that Benny is here to make life difficult. So yays for her! **

**Also, my quick disclaimer for this story: I don't own RENT, the Snow White Diner, the Philadelphia Eagles, or the Liberty Bell. Not mine. They either belong to Jonathan Larson or the city of Philadelphia. Anyways, happy reading!**

"Benny?" Maureen asked again, shocked to see her former landlord hours away from New York.

"Maureen?" Benny asked, dumbfounded.

"PUPPY!" a curly-haired three-year-old cried, pointing at the Liberty Bell.

"Wha- what are you doing here?" Benny stuttered.

"Looking at the Liberty Bell," Maureen replied as though it were obvious.

Which it kind of was.

"How did you get into Philly?" Benny asked.

"Joanne drove us!"

"Joanne? Us? Who's all here?"

"Everyone!" Mo cried as the group in question rounded the corner. They stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of Benny.

"What's the yuppie scum doing so far from Muffy and his money?" Roger finally managed to sneer, wrapping one of his arms around Mimi possessively.

"Sightseeing. And going to a football game," the scum replied.

"You've gotta be shittin' me," Mark cried as everyone else's eyes widened.

"You're going to the Eagles game?" Maureen asked, scrunching up her nose.

"Yes I am," Benny said, pointing to the teal hat on his head.

The Boho's looked Benny up and down and realized that he actually looked like a normal human being out of his normal suit and tie and in a baseball cap, jeans, and a sweatshirt. He looked like the old Benny, the man they had known before Muffy had come into his life.

"Why?" Benny asked. "Are you guys going to the game?" A sea of nodding heads was the response. "So you still don't pay the rent but you can afford to go to a football game?" he asked, incredulous.

"I won the tickets!" Maureen piped up.

"I see," Benny said, even though he obviously didn't. "Where are you guys sitting?"

"In a box!" said Roger, who was very excited by this fact. "Me too!" Benny exclaimed, and after comparing tickets, it was discovered that the two groups were sitting next to each other. "Just our luck," Mark muttered.

"It's getting late," Benny observed with a glance at his watch. "We should start heading over to the stadium."

They left the Liberty Bell, stopping briefly so Mimi could get a picture with her camera. The tension in the air was palpable.

"It's gonna be a long evening," Collins said to Angel, grabbing her hand. "Good thing I've got you then," Angel said, kissing Collins.

Mark wished he had someone to help him get through the game – he _really_ didn't want to talk to Benny all evening.


	6. The Game and a Girl

**A/N: Ok so I'm feeling guilty that I said I would update last week and then I didn't. So you get two chapters at once. Possibly a third one tomorrow. Just cause I love you all so much. :)**

As the group took their seats in the box, Maureen gloated as she bit into a soft pretzel dripping with mustard. "I got us some pretty good seats, huh?"

"Coulda been better," Mark, who had gotten stuck next to Benny as he knew he would, grumbled. Roger snickered at Mark's pain, and soon received a face full of popcorn thrown by the filmmaker.

Roger glared at him, but only took a sip of his beer because he knew that he deserved it. The cheerleaders came onto the field, and Mark, Roger, Benny, and Maureen stared fixedly at them as the cheerleaders jumped up and down in too-tight tank tops and miniskirts.

They hardly got any time to enjoy watching the cheerleaders, however, before they were smacked in the head by either their girlfriends, or in the case of Benny and Mark, the peace-loving Angel.

The players, the Philadelphia Eagles versus the Green Bay Packers, took the field and the game started after a few minutes of a sportscaster talking. The clock had been going for maybe two minutes before Maureen got up and left.

Roger looked after her with a raised eyebrow, but before he could ask where she was going, Joanne just shook her head and settled down into her chair, hoping that her girlfriend would be back soon as she didn't really like football.

Maureen returned in a few minutes with a bowl of ice cream and foam fingers for everyone, even Benny. Joanne sat up suddenly at the sight them.

"Maureen!" she hissed. "We can't afford all of this!" "Don't worry!" she reassured Joanne as she passed the foam fingers down the row, "it's not our money!"

"Well then whose money is it?" Joanne asked, worried that her lover was becoming a kleptomaniac.

"Benny's!" Maureen said evilly, pushing his wallet further into her pocket. "But shhh! He doesn't know it!" Joanne just shook her head and pulled Maureen close.

Mimi and Roger were cheering the Eagles on, screaming at the top of their lungs and waving their foam fingers at every possible opportunity. Angel and Collins were making out more than they were watching the game. Benny had seen some other people higher up in the box that he worked with, and had gone up to talk to them.

Mark sat with his head propped up on his hand, trying desperately to stay awake. He dozed off, and his box of popcorn slipped out of his hand and landed on the head below him.

The person who'd just had a box of popcorn upended on their head shrieked, and Mark jolted awake, apologizing furiously when he saw what he had done.

The girl turned around, laughing hysterically, and Mark relaxed a little bit when he saw that she wasn't angry, but not much.

"I am so sorry," Mark repeated as the girl picked the popcorn out of her waist length blonde hair. Mark turned a bright shade of red when the girl smiled up at him and extended her hand.

"I'm Laina."

"Ma-Mark," Mark managed to get out after a few attempts, his hand turning clammy in her grip. The girl, Laina, used Mark's hand to help her get up on her seat and step over the back of it so that they were standing side by side.

She smiled sweetly and sat down in Benny's vacated seat, still holding Mark's hand. "Do you mind?" she asked.

Mark wasn't sure whether or not she was talking about holding his hand or sitting next to him, but he was pleased with both actions. He merely shook his head and sat down, thrilled that his luck seemed to have turned around.

**A/N: Next chapter hopefully up tomorrow! Review por favor! **


	7. Getting Ready

**A/N: Yeah, I know I told you guys that this would be up a month ago. Sorry about that. So this chapter is extra long and I swear that the next chapter will be up by the end of the weekend! So enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Do I even really need one of these??**

"I knew they would win!" Mimi cried as the Eagles kicked the winning field goal.

"Nuh-uh," Roger protested. "You changed who you were rooting for every five minutes!" Mimi giggled as she led the group out of the stadium. "So did you!" she exclaimed.

Roger shrugged and wrapped an arm around her waist as they walked. Angel shushed the group and gestured with her head at Mark, who was lagging behind the group, trying to draw out his time with Laina.

"Just invite her to dinner already!" Joanne called from the parking lot. She had had a bit too much beer and was feeling extra generous with Benny's American Express tucked into her back pocket. Mark blushed the colour of a tomato and turned to Laina.

"Would you? Go? Like dinner? With me?" the filmmaker stuttered. "Ugh," he sighed, realizing he wasn't making much sense.

He took a deep breath and tried again. "Would you like to come to dinner with me? As a date?" he added on the end of his proposal. He immediately wished that he hadn't.

Laina brushed a stray hair away from her face and smiled shyly. "I'd like that," she said, taking his hand. Mark practically glowed with happiness before he realized something. "Do you live around here?" he asked, heart sinking as he realized that the only girl who'd shown interest in him in the past year might very well live in Australia.

Laina shook her head sadly. "I live up by Brooklyn. In New York."

It was then that Mark realized her accent; she pronounced the city's name "Noo Yawk." Mark grinned happily and told her that he lived in Manhattan.

The good luck fairies must have been with Mark that evening, for when he asked where Laina was staying in Philadelphia, it was discovered that she was in the same hotel with everyone else. At the door to the hotel lobby, Joanne stopped the group, and handed out key cards.

"Get dressed in your nice clothes and meet back in the lobby in an hour, okay?" Heads bobbled in agreement and they progressed on to the elevators. Laina got off on the third floor, and everyone but Benny got off on the seventh floor. He continued by himself to the tenth floor.

Mark's room was right outside the elevators, Mimi and Roger were halfway down the hallway, Angel and Collins had a room across from theirs, and Maureen and Joanne's room was at the end of the corridor. They split up to get ready for the surprise dinner that Joanne was taking them to.

* * *

Mimi twirled around the hotel room, the hem of her short floral dress flying out around her. She hummed to herself as she secured a thick black leather belt around her waist.

"Roger! Stop agonizing over your hair! Hurry up!"

Roger emerged from the bathroom with a scowl on his face. "I do not _agonize_ over my hair," he humped, causing Mimi to laugh even more. He stuck out his tongue, embracing his inner five-year-old.

By this point, Mimi was doubled over she was laughing so hard.

Roger was not amused. "You're gonna have to pay for this, you know," he said seriously.

"How?" Mimi asked, skeptical.

"You shall be tickled to death!" Roger announced, attacking her onto the bed.

* * *

"Pookie," Maureen whined.

"Yes, Maureen?" Joanne asked, turning around from the mirror and putting her eyeliner down.

"You owe me."

"What do I owe you?" Joanne asked, her eyebrow rising. Maureen patted the spot next to her on the bed and smiled sweetly. Joanne reluctantly sat down next to her.

Maureen leaned over and brought her lips passionately to Joanne's. Joanne kissed her back before pulling away. "Maureen, we have the dinner."

"Oh, come on!" Maureen complained. "You said no earlier, and now you're denying me _again_?!"

"I was driving earlier, and we have to meet everyone else."

"But not for twenty minutes."

There was a long pause.

"Good point."

* * *

Angel shimmied into a dark blue dress and finished fixing her wig. This was one of the only times in her life that she'd worn a dress, she preferred a skirt to a dress, but Joanne had insisted upon it.

She turned her attention from the floor length mirror to Collins, who was lying on their bed reading a book.

"How do I look, honey?" Collins looked up, and his eyes widened.

"You look fabulous, Ang."

Angel smiled and cuddled up next to him on the bed. They talked about the trip, their friends, anything and everything that came to mind to pass the time. When there were five minutes until they had to meet everyone, Angel suggested going to get Mark, who she figured would be lonely.

Collins agreed, and after he secured his beanie on his head and Angel grabbed her purse, they were on their way.

* * *

Mark lay on the bed in his room, staring at the ceiling. He was so used to being the single one, but now he'd met Laina.

She was different from all the other girls that he'd liked. She was sweet and very pretty, but she actually treated him like an equal – unlike Maureen who commanded him around as though he were her servant.

Mark prayed that he'd be able to find the courage to ask Laina out on a date once they were back in New York. He was fingering his trusty scarf around his neck when there was a knock on the door.

"Mark! We're going down now! Come on!" he heard Angel's voice come through the door.

"Okay!" he called out, standing up and double checking his appearance in the mirror. Something was off about it.

With a sinking heart, Mark unwound his scarf from around his neck, placed it on the desk chair, and walked out of the room.

* * *

As Joanne fixed her hair in the lobby mirror, Maureen complimented Laina on her kimono dress, while she admired the diva's floor length purple gauzy gown. After they admired each other's fashion sense, they got into a heated discussion about animal rights while Joanne scanned the lobby for the rest of their party.

Mimi and Roger soon showed up, still laughing occasionally and joined in their discussion. They were followed by Angel, Collins, and Mark, who caused everyone to do a double take when they saw him without his scarf. "Are we going to eat now?" Roger asked impatiently once they had all gathered.

"We're still waiting for someone," Joanne replied, doing a quick head count. The Boho's glanced around at their group. Everyone was there...

"You invited _Benny_?!" Maureen and Roger screamed at the same time. Joanne took a step back from her enraged girlfriend and Roger.

"I thought it would be polite." After a few minutes of death glares, she added, "He's paying." This immediately shut the two up, who both realised that they could order as much food as they wanted.

When Benny emerged from the elevator, Roger muttered, "Ah, there's the yuppie scum we know and hate," under his breath, causing the group to laugh. "Let's go," Joanne said, a headache already developing. The group left the building and followed Joanne down the block.

They got to the restaurant a block and a half later, and they all stopped dead in their tracks.

"Whoa," Laina said, astounded.

"Holy shit!" Mimi agreed.

Maureen just got an evil smile on her face.

"This will be fun."

**A/N: Only two more chapters left! I have some – **_**interesting **_**– things planned for their dinner, but if you want them to do something of your own creation, let me know, and I'll try to work it in. Other than that, for their outfits Maureen's is basically the dress that Idina Menzel wore on her ****I Stand**** album cover. The rest of the girl's dresses (as well as a picture of what Laina looks like) have links on my profile, so check those out. The guys are just wearing various suit-like things. So that's it! I'm gonna try and have this finished within a week!**


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